Duane Arnold Energy Center
Encyclopedia
The Duane Arnold Energy Center (DAEC) is located on a 500 acres (2 km²) site on the west bank of the Cedar River, two miles (3 km) north-northeast of Palo, Iowa
, USA, or eight miles (13 km) northwest of Cedar Rapids
. It is Iowa
's only nuclear power plant
.
DAEC entered operation in June 1974. It currently generates a net power output of approximately 615 megawatts
using a single General Electric
Mark I boiling water reactor
.
The majority owner and operator is NextEra Energy Resources
(70%). The Central Iowa Power Cooperative
owns 20% and the Corn Belt Power Cooperative
owns 10%.
defines two emergency planning zones around nuclear power plants: a plume exposure pathway zone with a radius of 10 miles (16.1 km), concerned primarily with exposure to, and inhalation of, airborne radioactive contamination, and an ingestion pathway zone of about 50 miles (80.5 km), concerned primarily with ingestion of food and liquid contaminated by radioactivity.
The 2010 U.S. population within 10 miles (16.1 km) of Duane Arnold was 107,880, an increase of 8.2 percent in a decade, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data for msnbc.com. The 2010 U.S. population within 50 miles (80.5 km) was 658,634, an increase of 7.1 percent since 2000. Cities within 50 miles include Cedar Rapids (10 miles to city center).
(AEC). On June 17, 1970 a construction permit was granted and work began. The original plan was to complete construction in 40 months at an estimated cost of $250 million.
Construction was completed and the reactor reached initial criticality on March 23, 1974. The cost was $50 million over budget. Commercial operations began on February 1, 1975. The plant was licensed for 1,658 MWt. However, power operations were restricted to 1593MWt (about 535 MWe) until plant modifications were completed in 1985 to utilize the full licensed capacity.
In May 2000, the NRC
granted a license transfer of the DAEC to Nuclear Management Company LLC (NMC). Ownership of the plant remained with Alliant, Central Iowa Power Cooperative and Corn Belt Power Cooperative, but NMC would manage the operation of the plant.
In 2001, a power uprate was approved by the NRC to 1,912 MWt. Scheduled outages since that time have added modifications to the plant that have allowed this power level to be sustained without restrictions or challenges to nuclear or industrial safety.
On 27 January 2006, FPL Energy (a subsidiary of FPL Group) closed the sale transaction of 70 percent ownership from Alliant Energy
-Interstate Power and Light. FPL Energy (now NextEra Energy Resources) also took control of the operations of the plant from NMC.
s utilize water from the Cedar River as a heat sink. Facilities exist to process all contaminated water onsite and the DAEC operates with a "zero release" policy to not discharge any contaminated water back to the lake. Facilities exist on site for dry storage of spent fuel with capacity for the entire life of the plant (including license renewal).
This reactor is fueled by uranium
.
The reactor has been shut down in unplanned scrams eleven times since the year 2000, as indicated in NRC performance indicator reports.
, others by Security, Police and Fire Professionals of America.
Emergency warning towers are maintained by DAEC and provide a means for tornado warnings as well as plant emergencies. The Emergency Planning organization at DAEC works with local, county, and state officials to maintain an emergency plan. The emergency plan can be found in the front of area phonebooks. Drills are conducted on a regular basis in accordance with requirements from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA).
Tax revenues from DAEC amount to about 1% of the total revenues for Linn County, Iowa
. Pleasant Creek Reservoir, a 410 acres (1.7 km²) lake, was developed by Alliant and the Iowa Conservation Commission to provide a recreation area and act as a source of cooling water during times of low flow in the Cedar River.
While the DAEC site covers 500 acres (2 km²), only a portion of that is used for power production. The remainder is leased to farmers for crop production or is left in its natural habitat.
Palo, Iowa
Palo is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States. The population was 614 at the 2000 census; a special census in 2006 counted 899 residents. It is part of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, USA, or eight miles (13 km) northwest of Cedar Rapids
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in Iowa and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and east of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city...
. It is Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
's only nuclear power plant
Nuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
.
DAEC entered operation in June 1974. It currently generates a net power output of approximately 615 megawatts
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
using a single General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
Mark I boiling water reactor
Boiling water reactor
The boiling water reactor is a type of light water nuclear reactor used for the generation of electrical power. It is the second most common type of electricity-generating nuclear reactor after the pressurized water reactor , also a type of light water nuclear reactor...
.
The majority owner and operator is NextEra Energy Resources
NextEra Energy Resources
NextEra Energy Resources is an wholesale electricity supplier based in Juno Beach, Florida. It is a subsidiary of NextEra Energy, Inc. , a Fortune 200 company. Prior to 2009, NextEra Energy Resources was known as FPL Energy....
(70%). The Central Iowa Power Cooperative
Central Iowa Power Cooperative
Central Iowa Power Cooperative or CIPCO is Iowa's largest cooperative energy provider that generates and transmits power to its member owners. It includes 12 rural and one municipal electric cooperatives which are all located within the state of Iowa....
owns 20% and the Corn Belt Power Cooperative
Corn Belt Power Cooperative
Corn Belt Power Cooperative is a generation and transmission electric cooperative in northern Iowa. It currently supplies to 12 of its member cooperatives in 28 counties in northern Iowa. It owns and maintains a coal-fired plant and a gas combustion turbine generator and is one of the owners of the...
owns 10%.
Surrounding population
The Nuclear Regulatory CommissionNuclear Regulatory Commission
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is an independent agency of the United States government that was established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 from the United States Atomic Energy Commission, and was first opened January 19, 1975...
defines two emergency planning zones around nuclear power plants: a plume exposure pathway zone with a radius of 10 miles (16.1 km), concerned primarily with exposure to, and inhalation of, airborne radioactive contamination, and an ingestion pathway zone of about 50 miles (80.5 km), concerned primarily with ingestion of food and liquid contaminated by radioactivity.
The 2010 U.S. population within 10 miles (16.1 km) of Duane Arnold was 107,880, an increase of 8.2 percent in a decade, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data for msnbc.com. The 2010 U.S. population within 50 miles (80.5 km) was 658,634, an increase of 7.1 percent since 2000. Cities within 50 miles include Cedar Rapids (10 miles to city center).
History
In the late 1960s, Iowa Electric Light & Power Co. (now Alliant Energy - West), Central Iowa Power Cooperative and Corn Belt Power Cooperative applied for a nuclear plant license with the Atomic Energy CommissionUnited States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...
(AEC). On June 17, 1970 a construction permit was granted and work began. The original plan was to complete construction in 40 months at an estimated cost of $250 million.
Construction was completed and the reactor reached initial criticality on March 23, 1974. The cost was $50 million over budget. Commercial operations began on February 1, 1975. The plant was licensed for 1,658 MWt. However, power operations were restricted to 1593MWt (about 535 MWe) until plant modifications were completed in 1985 to utilize the full licensed capacity.
In May 2000, the NRC
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is an independent agency of the United States government that was established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 from the United States Atomic Energy Commission, and was first opened January 19, 1975...
granted a license transfer of the DAEC to Nuclear Management Company LLC (NMC). Ownership of the plant remained with Alliant, Central Iowa Power Cooperative and Corn Belt Power Cooperative, but NMC would manage the operation of the plant.
In 2001, a power uprate was approved by the NRC to 1,912 MWt. Scheduled outages since that time have added modifications to the plant that have allowed this power level to be sustained without restrictions or challenges to nuclear or industrial safety.
On 27 January 2006, FPL Energy (a subsidiary of FPL Group) closed the sale transaction of 70 percent ownership from Alliant Energy
Alliant Energy
Alliant Energy Corporation is a public utility holding company that incorporated in Madison, Wisconsin in 1981. It consists of two subsidiaries:...
-Interstate Power and Light. FPL Energy (now NextEra Energy Resources) also took control of the operations of the plant from NMC.
Relicensure
In December 2010, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted Duane Arnold a 20-year extension license lasting until 2034, taking the plant well beyond the life of its original 40-year operating permit.Plant equipment
DAEC has a single GE BWR-4 reactor with a Mark I containment. Twenty-four forced-draft cooling towerCooling tower
Cooling towers are heat removal devices used to transfer process waste heat to the atmosphere. Cooling towers may either use the evaporation of water to remove process heat and cool the working fluid to near the wet-bulb air temperature or in the case of closed circuit dry cooling towers rely...
s utilize water from the Cedar River as a heat sink. Facilities exist to process all contaminated water onsite and the DAEC operates with a "zero release" policy to not discharge any contaminated water back to the lake. Facilities exist on site for dry storage of spent fuel with capacity for the entire life of the plant (including license renewal).
This reactor is fueled by uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
.
Known problems
Duane Arnold's primary containment shell was undersized in the original design.. The "torus direct vent bypass system" retrofit was installed in all 18 Mark I reactors in the late 1980s and is operated by a butterfly valve at the operators' control, after a zero leakage rupture diaphragm breaks prior to reaching the primary containment max design pressure. Operators now have the controls necessary to protect against a rupture of primary containment, however remote..The reactor has been shut down in unplanned scrams eleven times since the year 2000, as indicated in NRC performance indicator reports.
Seismic risk
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's estimate of the risk each year of an earthquake intense enough to cause core damage to the reactor at Duane Arnold was 1 in 31,250, according to an NRC study published in August 2010.Community impact
DAEC employs more than 500 people in the Cedar Rapids area. Some of these workers are represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical WorkersInternational Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is a labor union which represents workers in the electrical industry in the United States, Canada, Panama and several Caribbean island nations; particularly electricians, or Inside Wiremen, in the construction industry and linemen and other...
, others by Security, Police and Fire Professionals of America.
Emergency warning towers are maintained by DAEC and provide a means for tornado warnings as well as plant emergencies. The Emergency Planning organization at DAEC works with local, county, and state officials to maintain an emergency plan. The emergency plan can be found in the front of area phonebooks. Drills are conducted on a regular basis in accordance with requirements from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is an independent agency of the United States government that was established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 from the United States Atomic Energy Commission, and was first opened January 19, 1975...
(NRC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
(FEMA).
Tax revenues from DAEC amount to about 1% of the total revenues for Linn County, Iowa
Linn County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 211,226 in the county, with a population density of . There were 92,251 housing units, of which 86,134 were occupied.-2000 census:...
. Pleasant Creek Reservoir, a 410 acres (1.7 km²) lake, was developed by Alliant and the Iowa Conservation Commission to provide a recreation area and act as a source of cooling water during times of low flow in the Cedar River.
While the DAEC site covers 500 acres (2 km²), only a portion of that is used for power production. The remainder is leased to farmers for crop production or is left in its natural habitat.